Review: 'Tangled' is a (hair)cut above most princess pictures

Oddly, there has never been a full length film of the Grimm brothers’ Rapunzel until now, and the good news is that the first one is a peach. “Tangled” is a lively, funny, deft and delicious musical in the vein of Disney’s 1989 classic “The Little Mermaid.” It’s not quite up to that standard, but it’s a delight, graced with wit and levity and tasteful 3D effects.

The tale is slightly altered from the Grimms’: The heroine, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), is a princess, infused at birth with the essence of a magical flower and able to restore health and youth to those who touch her hair. An evil crone (Donna Murphy) kidnaps and imprisons the girl in a tower in the woods, and the kingdom is left to mourn its missing princess.

Years later, a roguish bandit (Zachary Levi) stumbles across the hidden tower, frees the girl, and then races back to the kingdom with her, hoping to retrieve some jewels he’s stolen. Flynn is so keen on saving his skin and making some profit that he fails to realize that he’s traveling with the missing princess, but he finds himself falling for the lovely earnest girl in his care.

The musical numbers are fine, particularly “I’ve Got a Dream,” an effervescent and hilarious showstopper in which a gang of tough guys sing about their hidden talents and aspirations. It’s as good, I think, as “Mermaid”’s “Under the Sea” or “Beauty and the Beast”’s “Be Our Guest,” which is to say very, very good.

That would be the highlight of “Tangled” were it not for Maximus, who doesn’t get to sing because he’s a horse. The prize steed of the royal guard, Maximus pursues Flynn doggedly -- and I do mean ‘like a dog,’ complete with ground-sniffing and tail-wagging. The animators have filled this valiant fellow with personality and charisma, and if little girls are apt to go gaga over Rapunzel and her hair, everyone who encounters Maximus -- and, indeed, all of “Tangled” -- will be enchanted.